Vacancy Announcement

Position: Research into Use (RiU) Focal Person

The Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) jointly announces a full-time position for Research into Use (RiU) focal point for the “DEltas, vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA)” and “Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience Research (HI-AWARE)” projects.

The DECCMA and HIAWARE projects are being implemented by IWFM, BUET and BCAS, respectively as Lead Bangladeshi Partners, under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) program funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The researchers in the projects are working with the Governments and a wide range of stakeholders to understand the challenges resulting from physical effects of climate change and human interventions, alongside socio-economic pressures, and identify with them the implications of different adaptation options to those challenges.

For further details, please visit IDRC website: (www.cariaa.net), (www.deccma.com), (www.hi-aware.org)

Job Description

  • Fully understand the aims, objectives, methods and outputs of the DECCMA and HIAWARE projects, being able to clearly communicate to a variety of stakeholders its possible benefits.
  • Be an advocate for the project promoting it in all circumstances.
  • Managing the delivery of research-into-use in country by developing and implementing a country specific research-into-use strategy that is in line with the projects’ research-into-use strategies.
  • Develop a country communication strategy, consistent with the projects’ communication strategies, to implement the RiU strategy
  • Keep up-to-date with, and regularly use, the latest communication and social media developments to promote DECCMA and HIAWARE research findings (results of communication activity should be measurable for monitoring and evaluation purposes)
  • Develop and maintain a proactive and continuous relationship with already-identified key project stakeholders (national and international). The purpose is to identify stakeholder interest in CARIAA project findings in order to be able to target and tailor research outputs to ensure maximum opportunities for research-into-use.
  • Search for new engagement opportunities within the country, evaluate their usefulness and present possible routes in for new interaction opportunities, or methods for engaging none responsive stakeholders of high influence and highlight existence of such opportunities to the DECCMA and HIAWARE management committee and DECCMA and HIAWARE RiU coordinators (results of stakeholder interest, particular needs and how DECCMA/HIAWARE are delivering appropriate to those needs should be measurable for monitoring and evaluation purposes).
  • Promote, assist organization of, and support activities within country that enable research-into-use, including stakeholder events, conferences, media opportunities, online activity and publication of project deliverables and outputs; bearing in mind that the nature of the events, and materials produced for them, will depend on the particular target audience and their needs.
  • Develop, review and report on RiU activities and project knowledge uptake by stakeholders (e.g. active use of DECCMA and HIAWARE findings, impact of communications etc) to the DECCMA and HIAWARE Management Committee and to funders for Monitoring and Evaluation purposes.
  • Represent DECCMA and HIAWARE in the CARIAA Programme ‘Knowledge Management and Communication’ thematic group, synthesizing DECCMA and HIAWAREs progress in RiU.
  • Report monthly to the DECCMA and HIAWARE Management Committee, as well as DECCMA and HIAWARE’s RiU coordinators.

Technical skills

  • Demonstrable experience working in the science-policy interface, ideally within (or with direct knowledge of) at least two of the following spheres - government, non-government, research/university/think tank, donors or media.
  • Educated to degree level, ideally in a field related to climate change.
  • Awareness of different communication styles as appropriate to different audiences (e.g. working papers, policy briefs, press release)
  • Proven and demonstrable experience of using communication plans utilizing the full communications mix (including social media, websites, video, media).
  • Ability to analyze large amounts of information and draw out and purposefully present specific research findings that are of use to specific stakeholders.
  • Proactive in seeking out RIU opportunities and identifying and then working with the relevant researchers to produce appropriately targeted outputs

Management and organizational skills

  • Experience of working within a broader project, adhering to and developing strategies that are consistent with project goals.
  • Proven experience of working in a team environment to deliver project joint goals.
  • Experience of working in, and reporting to, a geographically-dispersed team, using electronic communication mechanisms
  • Able to plan and organize individual and team activities with an appreciation of longer term issues, ensuring plans complement and feed into broader operational plans.
  • Strong project management skills and coordination of many of stakeholders and simultaneous projects in sometimes complex relationships and to multiple deadlines.
  • Experience of working with international development projects is desirable, but not essential.

Personal attributes

  • Creative and out-going; able to confidently and clearly use verbal and written communication
  • self-sufficient and self-motivated, capable of target setting and monitoring, actively seeking information from internal or external sources as required
  • A team player, able to communicate with project staff and stakeholders from senior to junior levels.
  • Excellent written English communication skills
  • Excellent computer skills, with proven experience of using the range of Microsoft Packages and working with media related software.
  • Flexibility to travel nationally and internationally

Office Location:

  • DECCMA Project Office, Institute of Water and flood management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000.
  • HI-AWARE Project Office, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), House-10, Road-16 A, Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212.
    (This position requires being in two offices in different days)

Duration & Salary: 24 Months. Salary is negotiable

Deadlines for Application
Last date of application is 10 December 2016. Applications including a cover letter and CV (with cell number) supported by certificates of qualification and experience along with 1 copy recent passport size photograph should reach DECCMA Project Office, 4th Floor, Institute Building, IWFM, BUET, Dhaka-1000.

**Only shortlisted candidates will be notified about the selection process, incl